The Little Guy
by PetiteGuardian
Summary: FFIV - In his last moments, Scarmiglione thinks back on his position among the four fiends. Rated T for death. First post.


I really don't know how this came to be. I found some form of sympathy for Scarmiglione, and he ended up in a positive light.

This is my first post here, to revive this once-dead, empty account. Here's hoping that all goes well.

I don't own the four fiends, Golbez, or anything else from FFIV.

"Lord Zemusss!"

No, that wasn't right. Even as my patchwork corpse fell apart, possibly for the last time, I chided myself. Lord Golbez. I should've cried out to Lord Golbez. It was he who'd always heard my cries before.

I was a failure even in death.

One couldn't really blame me. Power tended towards the moon, the stars. My earth was the bottom of the food chain. Moon rocks were beyond my control. Still, Lord Golbez had plucked me up from the underworld and given me a place below his throne. Maybe it wasn't the best place to be, underling that it made me, but it was nice enough - just high enough for honor, just low enough for peace of mind.

I was still one of the four elemental fiends, still linked to the name that people had slowly but surely learned to fear. My expectations were lighter, though. I was the pawn to lead the charge, the toe in the water, the first test for a serious threat. I was the little guy. Cagnazzo even seemed to take me as comic relief. It was okay if I bungled things, because that just meant we'd underestimated our enemies. It wasn't necessarily my fault. Getting slashed to bits wasn't a walk in the park, but at least I could retreat to a sigh and a shake of Lord Golbez's head, rather than his fury.

When it came to Cagnazzo and Barbariccia, the pressure was on. Things were serious up at the top, and you could tell by the way they carried themselves that they knew it. The drowned king's laughter and bullying were more a reassurance to himself than anything else. It was obvious when Barbariccia had been assigned to something, because she'd suddenly be a thousand times more vicious. Rubicante was, perhaps, strong enough to render him irreplaceable, but he had his pride - more pride than all the rest of us put together.

I'd taken the time to acquaint myself with my comrades-in-arms, though I doubt they much noticed it. That was precisely why I didn't mind the harsh words and jokes at my expense - they made my power seem even less than it was. That way, I was a peer, but I wasn't a threat. It was an interesting place to be. I rather liked it.

When she wasn't in mission mode, dead-set on some target, Barbariccia could actually be pleasant conversation. Granted, one had to find her on a good day to avoid her sharp tongue entirely, but it could be done. The empress of winds liked to chatter while she brushed snarls from her hair, and I didn't mind listening. Cagnazzo, too, was fond of his insults, but when his guard was down, his laugh was quite the sound to hear. It was booming and real. I'd wished I could laugh like that, but I couldn't give myself so completely to it - I would have fallen apart. Rubicante ignored me, mostly, except to glance on me with pity. While he ignored me, though, I could watch him, and he lived and breathed honor. He was certainly worthy of any reverence he got.

I'd been able to see them - to watch them - without earning suspicion. They were pleasant people. They were only pleasant because I was harmless to them, though. If power and respect and fear would have meant losing that, being alone... well, I was happy being the little guy.

Once, I'd imagined that one day they'd all find themselves brutally slaughtered in battle, cast to the underworld and under my power. I'd told myself they'd be lucky I'd come to like them.

I was dying with them, though, a more final death. Would I come into my power, with dominion over them, or would this second death subject me to the same rules as everyone else? Could I even - a chill jerked my spine from my back at this - be erased completely? I hoped not to disappear.

I half hoped to die a normal death, for once. I was happy with the way things sat, however low it placed me, and didn't particularly want it all to change.

I'd appreciate your opinions. Review?


End file.
